Improvement in nut-locks



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CHRISTOPHER O. SHELBY, OF SPRING VALLEY, NEWYORK.

y IMPROVEMENT IN NUT-LOCKS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 150,363, dated April28, 1874 application tiled December 12, 1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, GHRlsTor'HER O. SHEL- BY, of Spring Valley, in thecounty of Rockland and State of New York, have invented a new andImproved Nut-Lock for Securing the Bolts of Fish-Plates; and I do herebydeclare the following to be a full and exact description of the same,reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming part of thisspeciiication, in which- Figure l is a side elevat-ion, and Fig. 2 ahorizontal section. v

Similar letters of reference in the accompanying drawings denote thesame parts.

This invention has for its object to provide means for locking the nutsof sh-plates in a cheap, efficient, and expeditious manner; and to thisend it consists in a perforated elastic strip of metal, so applied tothe bolts of a fish-plate as to be conned under the nut at each end, andcover the central nuts. The perforations of the strip' are so located asto correspond vwith and tit over the bolts, and the ends of the stripare cut and bent so as to lock the end nuts, which confine it to thefish-plate, while the central portion of the plate, covering the centralnuts, holds them in place, all of which I will now proceed to describe.

In the drawings, A represents the tishplate; B, the bolts, and O thenuts, all of the usual construction. D represents an elastic strip ot'thin metal, suoli as band, hoop, or sheet iron, provided withperforations d, adapted to tit over the bolts B, as shown.

In applying my invention, the ish -plate is secured by turning allthenuts, excepting one at each end. The elastic strip l) is now placedon the bolts over the nuts that are applied, and the end nuts are turnedto their places outside of the strip, bending the ends of I the latterinward and clamping them against the fish-plate. The elastic strip isthus sethat the latter are securely locked. By this construction, theelastic locking-plate D acts as a bow-spring, the force or elasticity ofthe spring pressing directly on the outer surfaces of the interior nutsto hold them in place, and should the interior nuts, from the passage oftrains or other cause, move or become partially unscrewed, the elasticor bowshaped spring D would then press with greater force on the outersurface of the interior nuts, thereby preventing any derangemeint of theparts. The ends of the strip are niclred or cut, as shown, and bent upagainst the end nuts, thereby locking the latter. l

I am aware that a strip of metal provided with orifices adapted to titover the nuts of a sh-plate has been employed; but this method is not asconvenient as mine, inasmuch as the nuts must all be turned so thattheir' edges will correspond with those of the oritices, in order thatthe plate may be fitted over them, while in my invention the positionsof the nuts are of no consequence, as the strip has only to be iittedover the bolts.

The device is cheap and economical, as it is constructed of thin,inexpensive metal, this kind being` preferable on account of itselasticity.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is The metallicelastic bow-sprin g lookin g-plate D, provided with peri'orations el d.,and having its ends turned up, so as to abut against the end nuts whenthey are screwed down in place on their bolts, and over the metallicplate, in combination with two or moreinte rior bolts, passing throughperforations in the metallic bow-spring locking-plate, the latterresting on the upper faces of the inner nuts to prevent them fromturning, substantially as described, and for the purpose set forth.CHRISTOPHER O. SHELBY.

Witnesses:

MELVILLE CHURCH, N. K. ELLswORrH.

